A known water pump for an internal combustion engine includes a pump housing secured to a front end of a cylinder block and an impeller rotatably supported on the pump housing. The water pump typically requires disassembly of certain engine components to which the water pump is attached in order to gain access to pump bearings, seals, impellers, etc., as for replacements. For example, it is known to position a water pump behind a timing chain with an impeller of the water pump being driven by the timing chain. The pump housing of the water pump for housing the impeller is located on the same component that supports a pump bearing and shaft. However, with this known arrangement, servicing and/or replacement of the water pump requires disassembly of the timing chain system and can be difficult and expensive.